Archive for category technology

From start-up companies to big investors, there are things you need to know about this “budding” industry. It’s hard to get the metrics for funding and it’s difficult to grow and expand a business without available reports and statistics to help brand and market your product. Maybe this article will help.

A Short History of Legalized Cannabis in the United States

In 2012, legal medicinal cannabis was finally realized and it should be one step closer to mainstream in 2018 as adults in California, Massachusetts, and Maine marketplaces pick up the pace for normalization of recreational use in America.

More medical marijuana is sold in California than anywhere else in the United States and the addition of legal recreational use is expected to grow the state’s already exploding market to $7 billion a year, according to the Associated Press. They are followed by continually increasing consumer markets in both Colorado and Washington, according to a report from Boulder-based BDS Analytics.

Recreational customers in both Washington state and Colorado increased cannabis product spending a combined 66% since 2015 to reach over $1.5 billion in 2016, and early projections showed yet another huge increase for 2017.

Marketing and Advertising Technology Is Critical to Business

Unlike traditional businesses, legal cannabis faces a unique dilemma. In the last few years, entrepreneurs, executives, and investors had almost no solid information to base business decisions on and had to rely mostly on instinct. “They didn’t have the types of financial information, benchmark data and in-depth market insight necessary to assess the competition, target investments and tackle new opportunities.” [2] But now it’s possible to hire the right marketing and advertising expert to find and filter this data and design, brand, and provide content that is compliant.

This gets around the following issues:

The federal government currently doesn’t track the industry and detailed demographic information on jobs, the number of companies or taxes paid is not readily available.

Each state approaches the cannabis industry differently. Some provide in-depth data; tax revenue generated, the names of licensed companies, and monthly or annual retail sales, but most states don’t.

Entrepreneurs and investors usually find information on their markets by searching for filings and financial statements of publicly-traded companies. The cannabis industry reports that are publicly available are generally unaudited and only represent a small portion of the marketplace.

Medical dispensaries are required to operate as non-profit, but their tax returns are not formally recognized by the IRS and are not publicly available.

The Marijuana Business Daily Factbook 2017 conducted a survey showing “investors who have already pumped money into the cannabis industry are planning on putting capital into nearly as many marijuana businesses in 2017 as they have in all previous years combined,” and “investors plan to invest half a million dollars on average in marijuana businesses this year alone.”

A huge number of new businesses entering the cannabis space has raised the level of competition and start-up costs are rising making it even more important to know how to approach the industry, a specific niche or market segment.

Enter Tetrah Marketing

Despite challenges, the industry still requires many of the same goods and services as mainstream companies. A huge number of secondary companies – businesses like Tetra Marketing – have sprung up offering traditional services in line with federal and government regulations and guidelines. Some cater to the cannabis industry exclusively; some serve multiple markets. Tetrah has a separate company for its traditional customers that has served many businesses in both the private and public sectors, including government and military contracts, since 2010. They have access to in-depth information that some of their competitors don’t which gives their clients an edge in their marketplaces.

If you are one of the forward-thinking owners of a cannabis start-up or are an existing company looking to differentiate yourself as you expand locally or across state borders, you will need to navigate an industry that has complex rules to marketing and advertising as well as marketplace data that is hard to find. Investors want to back initiatives using solid financial numbers and information along with an analysis of existing competitors. An analysis of the competition is just one of Tetrah Marketing’s vast array of services for a non-traditional industry; a one-stop shop for all things marketing in the world of marijuana.

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The concept of Blockchain technology has been around since 2008 and more recently has been the topic of debate regarding whether it’s use in the financial sector was going to be limited to digital currency and financial contracts or scale and evolve to handle all transactional data and communications. Organizations are researching customized uses for specific proof of concepts to address related, but different industry goals.

The original Bitcoin technology stack had limitations and shortcomings that had to be addressed or replaced by emerging Blockchain technology consultant companies. Some have reached a testing stage and have the ability to demonstrate the technology by integrating it with other systems, while others are still assembling components and structure. Few of these start-ups are located in the United States and most are currently located on the west coast.

Through the next five years, there will be multiple distributed ledger platforms powering digital business and laying the foundation for an autonomous programmable economy. The path to this economy may not take the earlier estimated decades to deliver due to continually increasing the pace of technological advancement. The internet took decades to reach full potential but the increments between each monumental step decreased along the way. To date, it has completely altered everyday life and changes are constant.

Much has been learned since then and today industry is more motivated than ever to remove redundant, wasteful, fraudulent transactions from the original technology. The world wide web or distributed networks we have all been working on are modified off a system based on the technology of the early 90s and are now overwhelmed with data that is either leaking or being breached at every computer, platform, and application’s weak point of contact with another system.

The term “distributed ledger” is used in unison with “Blockchain,” to better describes the flexibility and support the concept of businesses as “platforms.” Some emerging Blockchain companies refer to themselves as a Platform as a Service (PaaS) business. This evolution takes Blockchain technology to more advanced alternatives for transferring various forms of data in all businesses and industries. Imagine:

cars that can negotiate parking space availability, receive bids on spots, calculate appropriate costs, and make the payments

landowners who can undeniably verify deeds

systems that track resume and identity through education history and credentials

recording property such as music and art, intellectual property rights, creation dates, and avoiding potential third party claims

It is through the shortcomings of the Bitcoin technical architecture that alternative versions of the Blockchain distributed ledger system were discovered. Transactions can be confirmed through an automated network of computers controlled by mathematical rules resulting in transparency across industries. This is not a trend or fad but a new basis for global interaction. Take a step forward to avoid extended disruption to business processes and wasted funds for massive architecture changes later. Corporate Internet Officers should be finding a place to integrate and test Blockchain technology on a portion of their operating systems now in order to go full scale later.

The coming wave of The Internet of Things (IoT) will tie corporations to businesses and workplaces to households as well as how we travel in between.

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Chief Information Officers (CIO)s should consider the possible effects of blockchain investments against existing technologies and capabilities and be ready to move when productivity begins to outweigh the earlier hype. As many CIOs begin looking into their digital business transformation strategies, they may wonder how and where blockchain technology fits into their platforms.

CIOs at major banks and financial services companies have already launched full-scale analysis into savings potentials and possible business disruption while integrating new systems.

These are not the only areas for blockchain advancement. CIOs across all industries should understand how blockchain works, and why its limitations are spawning distributed ledger platforms ready to test the first basic integrations for the future programmable economy.

The First Step is Education

Begin by finding blockchain councils, newsletters, and think tanks that share a common goal in finding practical uses for this technology that explain substantial improvements in resource efficiency. Understand how taking advantage of this technology will drive innovation and growth in regions that have not yet modernized to this shift. Pitch your own ideas, incorporate others, and ask questions to solve development issues.

Look for companies like these 10 enterprising start-ups in 2016 striving to achieve the best possible blockchain applications. One promising start-up on the east coast and based in Charlotte, NC is doing that through the creation of LinkedIn groups, network and meet up events both online and locally, up to date newsletter information, and an online Blockchain Council run by Encrypted Labs intended to be a collaborative think tank for technical experts and collective industry knowledge experts to work together.

The Future

It is through the shortcomings of the Bitcoin technical architecture that alternative versions of the blockchain distributed ledger system were discovered. Transactions can be confirmed through an automated network of computers constrained by mathematical rules resulting in transparency across industries. This is not a trend or fad but a new basis for global interaction. Take a step forward to avoid extended disruption to business processes and wasted funds for massive architecture changes later. Corporate Internet Officers should be finding a place to integrate and test blockchain technology on a portion of their operating systems now in order to go full scale later.

Differentiating yourself from others inspires confidence in those around you. It shows that you are comfortable trying new things and incorporating what is unique and distinctively valuable instead of relying on established and often dated perceptions. This personal sense of self carries over to relationships we create and business concepts we generate. The thing that motivates us to take pride in our moral compass and exclusive talents can be what makes our business stand out from the rest.

Deconstruct Your Mental Process

Your business is built by you and contains your personalized fingerprint. Examine your original thought process for beginning your company to find the basis for why you felt your business would be better than your competitors. Don’t underestimate your ideas because they are usually better than you realize and only you can adequately explain why. This means that only you can clarify what sets your product or service apart from the rest. You are not just selling this concept; you are representing an idea or situation that your audience will want to gravitate toward.

Practice Empathy

When you are focusing on the customer solution, step into their shoes and show them that it’s not just your materials and features that will improve their lives, but your vision of how a company should operate and appreciate its customers. There are plenty of products and services out there, but you’ll treat them with respect and make it a fun experience. They will choose your environment.

The Right Combination of Push and Pull

Customers often ready themselves to make purchases by having a set of expectations based on past experience. Take them in a less predictable direction by highlighting the emotional investment, value of accessible information, a simple process, and a new way of thinking. Let them come to you when they have finished evaluating your offer and determined a need. If they believe in you and your process, they will return prepared to purchase and share their discovery with others.

Know What Works

Your online presence should reflect your thinking with the latest tools and strategies that make you searchable across several platforms and devices with updated ideas and fresh presentations. Don’t exaggerate what your company offers; keep it simple and honest. You know you have great content if it gets their attention in 30 seconds, makes them want to sign up for a free offer, engage with comments, or download free webinars. Monitor reactions and note best times of day for responses, the demographics being used, and the trends that led you to your targeted audience. Be approachable and consistently available to solve the consumer’s problem.

Advice

Remember that your competition is no longer local. Online industries are worldwide. Know your goals, messages, and advantages that separate you from others and result in a lifestyle improvement and better customer relationships. Remove any clutter from your websites and social sites so you are easy to identify and find when visitors need you. Embrace technology and change, bolstering positive reactions and flexibility to stay sharp. Creativity within your niche is paramount. Hire an agency to work with you if that is what it takes to get you there.

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This council is comprised of businesses united in the development of Blockchain infrastructure for business applications. A membership includes hands-on workshops, monthly meetups, access and testing of the latest applications to develop proof of concept. Networking opportunities with technical experts and collective industry experts to avoid having to use your in-house resources or research costs, employee training for IT personnel on design, configuration, implementation based on customer needs, and how to customize and scale to suit your specific business and industry. These first experiments develop and help achieve the basics of integration.

Blockchain has been hailed as one of the most transformative emerging technologies. Pooling knowledge on the potential uses gives everyone the power to develop effective, practical applications that offer the most improvements over traditional systems.

Staying up to date regarding emerging Blockchain Technology helps discover new ways it can be integrated into enterprise systems to provide value. Topics covered in the Blockchain Council meetup and the LinkedIn Blockchain Council group will range from the introduction to Blockchain, BigchainDB, Smart Contracts, Consensus, Ethereum, Dapps, IoT, Big Data/Predictive Analytics, and much more.

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The concept of Blockchain technology has been around since 2008 and more recently has been the topic of debate regarding whether it’s use in the financial sector was going to be limited to digital currency and financial contracts or scale and evolve to handle all transactional data and communications. Organizations are researching customized uses for specific proof of concepts to address related, but different industry goals.

The original Bitcoin technology stack had limitations and shortcomings that had to be addressed or replaced by emerging Blockchain technology consultant companies. Some have reached a testing stage and have the ability to demonstrate the technology by integrating it with other systems, while others are still assembling components and structure. Few of these start-ups are located in the United States and most are currently located on the west coast.

Through the next five years, there will be multiple distributed ledger platforms powering digital business and laying the foundation for an autonomous programmable economy. The path to this economy may not take the earlier estimated decades to deliver due to continually increasing the pace of technological advancement. The internet took decades to reach full potential but the increments between each monumental step decreased along the way. To date, it has completely altered everyday life and changes are constant.

Much has been learned since then and today industry is more motivated than ever to remove redundant, wasteful, fraudulent transactions from the original technology. The world wide web or distributed networks we have all been working on are modified off a system based on the technology of the early 90s and are now overwhelmed with data that is either leaking or being breached at every computer, platform, and application’s weak point of contact with another system.

The term “distributed ledger” is used in unison with “Blockchain,” to better describes the flexibility and support the concept of businesses as “platforms.” Some emerging Blockchain companies refer to themselves as a Platform as a Service (PaaS) business. This evolution takes Blockchain technology to more advanced alternatives for transferring various forms of data in all businesses and industries. Imagine:

cars that can negotiate parking space availability, receive bids on spots, calculate appropriate costs, and make the payments

landowners who can undeniably verify deeds

systems that track resume and identity through education history and credentials

recording property such as music and art, intellectual property rights, creation dates, and avoiding potential third party claims

It is through the shortcomings of the Bitcoin technical architecture that alternative versions of the Blockchain distributed ledger system were discovered. Transactions can be confirmed through an automated network of computers controlled by mathematical rules resulting in transparency across industries. This is not a trend or fad but a new basis for global interaction. Take a step forward to avoid extended disruption to business processes and wasted funds for massive architecture changes later. Chief Information Officers should be finding a place to integrate and test Blockchain technology on a portion of their operating systems now in order to go full scale later.

The coming wave of The Internet of Things (IoT) will tie corporations to businesses and workplaces to households as well as how we travel in between.

Like this:

Chief Information Officers (CIO)s should consider the possible effects of blockchain investments against existing technologies and capabilities and be ready to move when productivity begins to outweigh the earlier hype. As many CIOs begin looking into their digital business transformation strategies, they may wonder how and where blockchain technology fits into their platforms.

CIOs at major banks and financial services companies have already launched full-scale analysis into savings potentials and possible business disruption while integrating new systems.

These are not the only areas for blockchain advancement. CIOs across all industries should understand how blockchain works, and why its limitations are spawning distributed ledger platforms ready to test the first basic integrations for the future programmable economy.

The First Step is Education

Begin by finding blockchain councils, newsletters, and think tanks that share a common goal in finding practical uses for this technology that explain substantial improvements in resource efficiency. Understand how taking advantage of this technology will drive innovation and growth in regions that have not yet modernized to this shift. Pitch your own ideas, incorporate others, and ask questions to solve development issues.

Look for companies like these 10 enterprising start-ups in 2016 striving to achieve the best possible blockchain applications. One promising start-up on the east coast and based in Charlotte, NC is doing that through the creation of LinkedIn groups, network and meet up events both online and locally, up to date newsletter information, and an online Blockchain Council run by Encrypted Labs intended to be a collaborative think tank for technical experts and collective industry knowledge experts to work together.

The Future

It is through the shortcomings of the Bitcoin technical architecture that alternative versions of the blockchain distributed ledger system were discovered. Transactions can be confirmed through an automated network of computers constrained by mathematical rules resulting in transparency across industries. This is not a trend or fad but a new basis for global interaction. Take a step forward to avoid extended disruption to business processes and wasted funds for massive architecture changes later. Chief Information Officers should be finding a place to integrate and test blockchain technology on a portion of their operating systems now in order to go full scale later.